God calls His children to think clearly for we tend to lose our way simply by thinking poorly. Sin causes us to have muddled minds. At merriam-webster.com, the definition of muddle is 1. a state in which everything is out of order, 2. a state of mental confusion, 3. a state of mental uncertainty.
Sin has taken God’s order of things and distorted it, causing confusion and uncertainty to take hold.
In the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi had the mission from God to try to awaken His children. They had become indifferent and resentful towards God. Their hope in God’s promises had dimmed. How so? The evidence was in how they lived their lives. “They treated marriage carelessly by marrying non-believers and divorce became acceptable. Their mindset was muddled by mixed feelings toward the carnal side of life and the spiritual side.” Essentially, believers in Malachi’s day were loving both worlds (rewritten from The Bible Knowledge Commentary by John Walvoord and Roy Zuck).
In Malachi 1:6-14, you read how apathetic believers became towards God. They showed contempt for God by sacrificing defiled offerings. They showed a lack of respect for Him. Walking by faith was not easy and they started thinking, “It’s too hard to serve the Lord.”13 So, as God said, “You turn up your noses at My commands.”
“You dishonor My name with your actions.”12
How clear is your thinking? Are you indifferent to the things of God? How strong of a hold does the world have on you? Have you been walking with God for awhile and you find yourself disappointed with things?
Here is a quote from Jerry Bridges, “Don’t believe everything you think. You cannot be trusted to tell yourself the truth. Stay in the Word.“ From C.S. Lewis, “Pride, on the other hand, is the mother of all sins, and the original sin of Lucifer. An instrument strung, but preferring to play itself because it thinks it knows the tune better than the Musician.”
Stay in the Word is the best line of defense for your faith. While in the Word, pray. Talk to God all day long. Make sure that your thoughts and actions won’t lead you away from God and His ways.
Living in the United States, a believer must fight vigilantly for it. From @chrisreignites, “Comfort is the Christian drug no one talks about. And most of you are high and calling it peace. You’re not waiting on God. You’re just lazy. Numb. Out of alignment. You’ve spiritualized your avoidance and baptized your excuses in emotional language. You skip workouts, avoid silence, numb your thoughts with scrolling, eat like you don’t care if you live, and pray for ‘breakthrough’ like it’s going to fall out of the sky. You post verses, you say ‘God’s timing’, you show up to church but your private life is chaos. Your mind is loud, your body is soft, your spirit is disconnected, and your habits prove it. You’re addicted to being safe, to being comfortable, and not being confronted. You’re worshiping ease and calling it wisdom.” Doesn’t this sound like people have muddled minds?
Chris continues, “Jesus did not die so you could coast through life on ‘vibes’ and validation. He died so you could rise, pick up your cross, kill your flesh, lead yourself (with Jesus) and become dangerous to the darkness. Train your body, guard your mind, starve your cravings, build discipline, burn the excuses, and fight like your soul depends on it because it does. This is war!”
2 Corinthians 6:1-2 says, “As God’s partners, we beg you to not accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says, ‘At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.’ Indeed, the ‘right time’ is now. Today is the day of salvation.” Today, clear your thinking and return to God. Follow Jesus in all areas of your life. God is battling for you so you can make it home safely to Him one day.
It’s a war zone out there so prepare yourself daily.
Carol J German 